Ever wondered how the emergency services could contact a friend or relative if you were found unconscious with only your Smartphone for identification?

Medical ID or ICE stands for “in case of emergency,” and it’s what many of us have been taught to look for if someone needs medical attention in a first aid incident. Well, what if that person is you? Where is your ICE info? One of the easiest and most convenient places to keep emergency information is on your smartphone, but only if you know the right way to do it so that someone can see it without having to unlock your phone. Now is a great time to make sure you and everyone in your family has ICE info on their phone, especially with Christmas and new round the corner and smartphone-carrying students who might be heading back to school.

ICE on iPhone
If you have an iPhone, you can add emergency contact information and medical notes so that’s it’s accessible to anyone from your lock screen.

1. Open the Apple Health app, which is installed on all iOS devices running iOS 8 and later. This app can’t be uninstalled.

2. Tap on Medical ID in the bottom right corner.

3. Tap Create Medical ID.

4. At the very top, make sure Show When Locked is turned on (to green). Fill in as much information as is relevant to you. If you have no known allergies or aren’t taking medication, it still helps to write “None” or “None known” so that medical personnel don’t assume you’ve overlooked these fields.

5. Make sure you assign at least one person as your emergency contact person. You must save that person’s name and phone number in your Contacts app for the Health app to be able to include it.

6. Hit Done to save.

Now here’s how to test it to make sure it worked, and to make sure you know what to look for if you ever have to find someone else’s ICE info. Lock your phone. Now wake it up but don’t fully unlock it with the passcode or Touch ID. When you slide to get to the passcode screen, you should see Emergency at the top. Press it, and a new screen appears with a number keypad to dial, as well as Medical ID in the bottom left. Press Medical ID, and you’ll see your information appear along with a phone icon that, when pressed, will automatically dial your ICE contact. Note that while you can find ICE apps in the App Store, they are not accessible from a locked phone! You should always lock your iPhone with a passcode or TouchID for security reasons, meaning these ICE apps are useless in a real emergency. Use the Apple Health app instead.

ICE on Android
Depending on which phone you have and which version of Android you’re running, you might have an emergency contact feature in your phone’s setting. Check there first. It might be under a sub-menu such as My Information.

If you can’t find an emergency contact field within the settings, there are apps for adding ICE info, but you’ll need one that has a widget accessible from the lock screen. Note that not all versions of Android support lock screen apps anymore. It’s tricky.

I also recommend not relying on an app that sends emergency information via text messaging. When a true emergency is happening, first responders need to know whether they’ve reached an emergency contact. They can’t wait around for someone to reply to a text message.

For Android 4.2 and later, the ICE: In Case of Emergency app ($3.99) seems promising (I haven’t personally tested it), I have the free medical ID app. It has a lock screen widget and lets you save important information as well as ICE names and numbers. Some user feedback suggests that it may disable alarms, however. If you use your Android as an alarm clock, you might want to consider other options before shelling out four bucks for this app.

Summer is usually the happiest time of year for Australian families. It’s a time when we enjoy extended holidays and sun-soaked Christmas celebrations, long days at the beach and barbecues with friends.

However, sunny days spent outside in the backyard or on the sand can mean injuries are more commonplace.

We’ve had a look at some of the most common injuries parents should be aware of this summer, and offer a few tips on how to treat them:

Drowning:

Gatherings around pools or at the beach are a valued tradition for many Australian families, but with that tradition comes the very real danger of drowning. Parents can reduce risks by always supervising children. When there are several families in one place, ensure you confirm with other parents who’s supervising. At the beach, ensure you always swim between the red and yellow flags. Finally, brushing up on your CPR skills is important for every parent. You can book yourself into our first-aid course covering CPR by clicking here

Sunburn:

In our harsh Australian climate, sunburn is a very real problem. These days, most parents are very aware of the need to slip slop slap to keep the burns at bay – and prevention is the best cure – but sunburns can and do still happen. A 20 minute cool shower will help reduce symptoms and discomfort. Keep the area moisturized. And ensure you keep your child’s fluids up with water and seek medical help if the burn is bad, if there is extensive blistering, or signs of infection.

Bicycle, scooter and skateboard injuries:

Children should always wear the appropriate clothing for the activity they’re undertaking. A helmet is essential, and knee and wrist pads are also advisable for kids heading out on skateboards. When injuries do occur, act quickly to apply cold compresses to swollen areas. If you think your child has sustained a fracture, seek medical assistance.

Stings and Insect Bites:

When an insect bite strikes, there’s often not much that can be done to treat it. However, applying a cold compress can reduce pain and inflammation. For jellyfish stings, call Triple 0 or seek advice from a lifeguard if there’s one nearby. Apply vinegar liberally to the area, or seawater if there’s no vinegar on hand. Don’t use fresh water to clean the sting.

Snake Bite:

Thankfully this is a less common injury, but it’s most common in the summertime and is an important one to know how to treat. Snakes are active over the warmer months and snake bites can often occur while kids are out exploring, bushwalking or camping. If your child experiences a snakebite, it’s important to keep them calm and call Triple 0 first. Firmly bandage the affected limb (if that’s where the bite was), starting at the foot or hand and working up towards the body.

Seeing Your Child In An Emergency Can Be Horrifying – Feeling Helpless is Worse

With the help of our training at Hot Response First Aid , you’ll sleep easy knowing that you’re prepared for almost every emergency.

If your child is burnt or scalded, you’ll be prepared.

If your child eats something and starts choking, you’ll be prepared.

If your child experiences a sudden seizure, you’ll be prepared.

If your child has been underwater and drowning, you’ll be prepared.

If your child is suffering from a super-high fever, you’ll be prepared.

If your child suffers a severe allergic reaction, you’ll be prepared.

If your child swallows poison or a household substance, you’ll be prepared.

If your child has an accident and breaks a bone, you’ll be prepared.

For the Price of a Restaurant Dinner, You Can Know PRECISELY How to Deal with Your Child’s Emergency…

Our most popular course is the First Aid 4 Kids — 3 Hour Course

This engaging and practical course covers the 10 most common emergency situations. At the end of 3 hours, you’ll know precisely how to deal with the emergency situation before the paramedics and first responders arrive.

27th October – 6th November 2017

Black Dog Riders in every state and territory depart in October to ride throughout regional Australia, raising awareness of depression and suicide prevention, culminating in a national meet up in the Apple Isle!

Hot response first aid training will be taking part in this years event to raise awareness for mental illness and suicide prevention for our fellow emergency workers.

The Ride

Black Dog Ride’s inaugural adventure to the Apple Isle sets off in late October from every state and territory to raise awareness of depression and suicide prevention, gathering together in Hobart to celebrate the coming together of Black Dog Riders and the culmination of an inspiring grassroots suicide prevention project.

Join us on this once in a lifetime journey of community and self awareness!

The Cause – Even Heroes Need A Hand

Defence and Emergency Workers save and protect lives. But this demanding work means they may experience the trauma of mental illness at twice the rate of other Australians. At Black Dog Ride, we find that statistic unacceptable and we’re doing something about it. In 2017 we’re fundraising to provide these heroes with Mental Health First Aid training, so these heroes can identify and respond appropriately to a colleague in crisis, keeping them safe from harm.

Black Dog Ride’s goal is to raise $200,000 to fund 500 scholarships.

Black Dog Ride to Tasmania 2017 is bringing hundreds of people together to ride to the Apple Isle, engaging hundreds of communities and thousands people to raise awareness of this cause.

Drowning is a common cause of accidental death, especially amongst children and toddlers. Contrary to popular opinion, a casualty who drowns does not usuallyi inhale large amounts of water into the lungs.

90% of deaths from drowning are caused by a relatively small amount of water entering the lungs, interfering with oxygen exchange in the alveoli (wet drowning). The other 10% are caused by muscle spasm near the epiglottis and larynx blocking the airway (dry drowning). The victim will usually swallow large amounts of water, which might then be vomited as they are rescued or resuscitation takes place.

It should be remembered that other factors may contribute to the cause of drowning – for example, hypothermia, alcohol, or an underlying medical condition such as epilepsy or a heart attack.

Secondary drowning

If a small amount of water enters the lungs, irritation is caused and fluid is drawn from the blood into the alveoli. This reaction could be delayed for several hours, so a casualty who has been resuscitated and apparently recovered might relapse into severe difficulty breathing at a later stage. It is for this reason that any casualty who recovers from ‘near drowning’ should be taken to a hospital immediately.

First aid treatment of drowning

Do not put yourself at risk. ‘Reach or throw – don’t GO’.

If possible keep the victim horizontal during the rescue as shock can occur.

Check Airway and Breathing. – Perform CPR if necessary (if they are not breathing normally)

Call for emergency medical help, even if the victim appears to recover initially after the drowning episode